Worcester dentist suffers burns in fire at office

A dentist suffered burns yesterday when a liquid fuel being poured into a lamp in his downtown office ignited in a flash fire.

Deputy Chief Geoffrey Gardell said the fire occurred when an assistant was attempting to fill the lamp, used to soften dentures, with an alcohol-based fuel. He said the dentist suffered second-degree burns to his face and the assistant suffered minor burns.

The dentist, identified as Stanley Levenson, was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester. The assistant refused treatment, Deputy Chief Gardell said.

“They were refilling the lamp and didn't take the proper precautions” while doing so, the deputy chief said.

The fire was out in a flash, Deputy Chief Gardell said, and caused minimal damage to the office, at 9 Linden St. He said there was no structural damage to the building and the damage was confined to melting of a light fixture.

“It's very short and very hot,” Deputy Gardell said of the flash fire.

The fire was reported at 3:43 p.m. Employees of the office were outside on the sidewalk when firefighters arrived.